HOW DIALYSIS MACHINES WORK
These lifesaving devices take over the role of failing kidneys
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
W ithout healthy kidneys, your body would quickly fill with toxins, causing it to shut down. To prevent this buildup, these two fist-sized organs are continuously working to filter out waste substances from biological processes and pass them out of the body in your urine. For people who suffer from kidney failure, an alternative method is needed to emulate this essential task. Dialysis machines, which were invented in 1943, divert blood out of the body to be cleaned before being returned to the body. Because the body is continually producing waste, patients who depend on dialysis usually undergo four hours of treatment approximately three times a week.